Blame Macklemore for the current cluster of party people crowding the fur coat rack at the local Goodwill. The Seattle rapper, born Ben Haggerty, and his producer Ryan Lewis are riding high with the success of the song "Thrift Shop," and its accompanying album, "The Heist." Ellen DeGeneres called the hip-hop duo "heroes" when they appeared on her show to perform the hit, "Same Love," which promotes marriage equality. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis will play a sold-out show Monday at the Regency Ballroom. We spoke to the rapper during a stop in Chicago.

Q:I imagine the worst part about your success is that now you have to go thrift store shopping with a different journalist every week.

A: For me, "Starting Over" was therapy via a piece of paper. I just sat down and wanted to get something out because I had this huge weight on my shoulders and I didn't know how to handle it.

Q:A lot of people who think you're just this guy who raps about man onesies and cheap fur coats are going to be surprised when they hear the rest of "The Heist."

A: If you follow my career at all, it's very much in line with what I've done. There's no stretch in terms of that song and having a song like "Same Love" next to it. It's just who I am. It's all these different things.

Q:"Same Love," a hip-hop song that supports gay marriage, has more than 8 million views on YouTube. Do you feel validated for taking a risk and putting it out there?

A: I had been wanting to write a song about it for a long time. I just had to figure out a way to do it as a straight male that was authentic to my life. My life growing up was rap music and the Catholic Church, both of which are notoriously homophobic; but I also grew up in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Seattle, which is a very liberal area, with two gay uncles and a gay godfather. It came from just seeing all the hatred and homophobia - there's still a group of people who are oppressed in our society. You can only be silent for so long. {sbox}